Automobile torpedo.



PATENTE) BEC. 25, 1%6.

F. M. LBAVITT.

AUTOMOBILE TORPEDO.

APrLIoATIoN FILED umzo. 190e.

INVENTOR:

To LZZ whom/it may oncern:

f OFFICE.

"EEANK M. LEAviTT, OE NE'W YORK, N; Y., ASSIGNOR To E. w. BLISS COMPANY,OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OE `WEST VIRGINIA.

AUTOMOBILE TGRPEDO.

Beit known that I, FRANK M. LEAVITT, a

`oiti'zeno the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn,county of Kings, city and State-'of New York, have invented certain newand luseful Improvements in Automobile Torpedoes, of which the followingis a specification. i

VIt)

This invention relates to automobile torpedoes driven by compressed airwhich is conducted from a storage reservoir or iask to a suitable enginewhich drives the propellershaft carrying the propelling-screws.

purpose a reducing-valve is (provided. OwingA approximatingl to the highpressures use two thousand two hundred'. pounds per square inch,dicultyis experienced in'the construction of such' valves. Such areducing-valve is required to deliver the air to the engine at adetermined pressure, which in practice may vary from about four hundredto about six hundred pounds per square inch, as Vmay be desired. Suchtorpedoes are vdriven either by a multiple-cylinder reciproeating engineor by a turbine, and in either g for lubrication.

case the problem of lubricating the wearing parts of the motor and ofthe propeller-shaft and. of the ruiter-gears through which reversemotion is communicated to the second propellerescrew involves seriousdifficulty.

My invention aims to'improvethe means for reducing and regulating theair-pressure and at the same time provide superior means In theaccompanying drawings, Figure 1 a longitudinal vertical midsection.` ofthe after-body of a torpedo, illustrating the application of myinvention. Fig. 2A is a verti- E E the propellers.

fed from the iiask B through a' stop-valve a by cal mid-section, on alar er scale, showing the combined reducing-va ve and lubricator. 45.

Fig..3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 in Figa. 2. l A

' eferring to Fig. l, let A designate the hull `or shell of thetorpedo;B, the compressed-air reservoir'or as'k, a fragmentonly of which isshown; C, the engine or motor, which in this case is a turbine; D, thepropeller-shaft, and The compressed air is Specification of LettersPatent. Appnmonmed 'January 20,1906. serai No. saab93.

through any suitable channel,

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

gine or turbine, from which it exhausts The exhaust maybe into theafter-body of the torpedo and out through openings e into the hollowtail portion f'of the propeller-shaft, as set forth in my United States`Patent No. 748,759, dated January 5, 1904, or it may be otherwiseprovided. It is customary to mount the rear propeller E directly on theshaft and to drivethe ropeller E in the contrary direction throumiter-gears g h i, the vlatterbeing on a tubiar shaft y', to which thepropeller E is fixed. All these parts are movable in suitable bearings,which require very perfect lubrication.

Referring to Fig. 2, the ressure-regulator F comprises an outer she orcasin G, the lower part G of which is formed wit one -or morevalve-seats 7c 7c', a ainst which seat one or more flan es or faces lZof a moving valve H. Prefera ly the valve is balanced and has twoseating-faces seating againsttwo seats, as shown, the .admission frompipe cbeing between these seats and the discharge to pipe ccommunicating With the opposite sides of the seats from one directly andfrom the other indirectly through a hollow or tubular portion of thevalve H, as shown. Within the shell G is a chamber I, in which isinclosed a heavy'spring J, the pressure of which is communicated to thevalve H in such direction as to tend constantly to -open it, while thepressure on the outlet side of the valve tends constantly to close it.The spring J is preferably a helical spring and may'act by compressionor. distention, its

stress being such as to correspond with and oppose the desired pressureon the outlet s1 e ofthe valve. The spring is shown as arranged to actby compression and to'communicate its stress `to the valve through astem K, which connects with a cylindrical portion or' neck H of thevalve. This neck moves with a close working fit through a sleeve L,forming part of a artition L', separating the passage throng thevalveshell G beneath from the chamber I above. The neck. H of thevalveof any suitable diametenit being understood that the pressure on theoutlet sidey c of the valve acting i againstthissdiaxneterf mustberesisted by the stress of the spring'J. The 'fit' of lthe neck H inthe sleeve L is not so close as to prevent I, and from the instant thecompressed air-is admitted by 'the opening of the startingvalve b thisleakage occurs until the pressure in lthe chamber I is equal to thatonthe outlet side of the vaive at c. The chamber 'i is at starting'filled nearly full of oilleaving,

y however, an air-space l above the oilband space.

the air which leaks into the chamber beneath bubbles up tlnoughthelatter into this air The spring l lis Wholly immersed 1n the body ofoil, whereby it is eil'eetually vprotected yagainst rusting.

For adjusting as desired the stress of the vspring'J', I provide meansfor raising or low ering the abutnient J, against which theV s ringreacts. This abutment is shown as a ange formed on a screw-threadedcollar J2, which may be turned in a stationary threaded sleeve M, theupper part of which is shown ashav'ing a ground cone-joint M with a topopening through the sheli Gr and drawn to leak-tight "lit therewith anut M2. By. this-or'any suitable Construction the sleere Mis locked fastto the shell, so that by turn- I ing the collar J2 the latter may bescrewed 3o wup or down to vary the stress of the spring.

For so turning the coliar J2 a connection is provided withjtheexterior'. The connection., as shown, comprises a squared. stein K iittin g a square hole in the collar, and extending up through the sleeveM to4 the exterior at K2,

.where it may be turned by engaging it in any suitable manneras, forexample, by means l of a key or wrench.

In the construction shown the part K and the external part K2 are formedin one piel" with the stem il, to which latter is fixed tue disk J3,forming the lower abutment for the spring.

Where the stem K K2 passes out at .the top of the shell, it is formednth a cylindrical neck K2 which makes a close l Working iit with thecylindrical inner surface of the sleeve M, so that this portion may risei and fall' with the movements of the valve.

. No packing is needed for this neck K5* of the stem, because theduration of therun of the torpedo (usually not over two minutes) is soshort that the quantity of air which can es' cape by leakage isinsignificant. tant, however,y to :neutralize the eiiect upon the valveof the iiuid-pressure within the chamber I, and to this end the neck K3should be made of precisely the saine diane eter as the neck H', so thatthe fluid-pressure Will exert itself'to equal effect in the two contrarydirections. Thus the necks iii andK3 1 are cylinders presenting surfacesof equall areal Hence the? turning of the upper portion K2 turns the 1It is iniporesame,

and working tin'ougliopenings of equal area through the sleeves L and Mat the .top and bottoni of the oil-chamber. v leakage of compressed airinto the chamber L F or introducing oil into-the chamber-preparatory torun ol' the torpedo,y and at which time there is no pressure or only aninsignificant pressure of air therein, a filling-valve N is proifided.This is preferably a tappetvalve closing outwardly against a seat N',formed, preferably, on a ring or bushing screwed into the upper end ofthe. tubular portion K'l of the stem K. T he valve N has an upwardprojection N2, which can be pressed down to open it against thestress ofavspring which vpresses the valve upwardly and normally holds it closed.The entering oil passes around theI valve N, thence throu h openingsinto its tubular body, and final y fiou's through'passages P P into theoilchamber.

Vvlhen the parts are at rest and before the impressed -air has `beenadmitted to the reducingvalve, the pressure ofthe spring J throws thevalve Wide open, and to limit this movement a disk or Washer Q isprovided, the .rim of which projects over the upper end ofthe sleeve Land forms a stop-shoulder. .is soon as the airpressure is turned on itacts against the valve H to press it up against the stress of thespring, and thereby vto close the, T ie stein K is preferably connectedlto the valve H or its neck H by a shackle ori valve.

s vi rel Q. The valve H is removable through the bo ttom of the shell bytaking out a plug R and unserewing a sleeve R, which holds the seat 7cin place.

The oil-chamber i serves to hold oil not only for the innnersion andprotection of the spring J, but also 'for the lubricating of all themain working parts of the torpedo. This chamber has an oil-outlet (oneor more) at its lower part, an example of Whichis shown at S, Fig. 2,and. from which leads a duct or tube m, which extends thence, asshown inFig. 1, rearwardly through the torpedo, and has branches m mleading tothe several bearings p p for the propellenshaft, propellerscrew,gearing, and motor. The compressed air admitted to thechamber I byleakage around the neck H (or itinay be through a small special duct, ifpreferred) establishes instantly a pressure in the oil-chamber I, bywhich the oil is effectually fed through the duct m to all the bearings.Thus these bearings are lubricated in the most eiiicient manner by meansof a forced fiood of oil, which continues during the entire run of thetorpedo.

The exact construction and the arrangement and proportions of the partsdescribed may be greatly varied, and the `described cle- 1. In anautomobile torpedo, av pressure-- lOO IIO

esame reducing valve having a closed oil-chamber Vwith means foradmitting compressed air. thereto, and a duct leading therefrom to thebearings, the combination therewith of a y pressure-reducing valve havina' closed oilchamber with means for a mitting compressed air thereto,and. a duct leading thereto conduct oil thereto.

om to said bearin e 3. In VVan air-tomo reducing valve comprising asbeil having air ,inlet and outlet passages and. a valve-seat, an

oil-chamber a partition between said passages and chamber, a movablevalve having a neck passing through said partition, aiiording passagefor air into said chamber, a spring in said chamber engaging saidmovable valve, and an oil-outlet irorn said chamber. 4. in an automobiletorpedo a pressure reducing valve comprising a shell having arr inletand outlet passages and a valve-seat, an oil-chamber, having an openinginto said passages and; an opening at top, said openings of equal area,a movable valve having a stem 4passing through said chamber with necksof equal" areapassing through said openings, and a spring in saidchamber engaging said stem. 5.71'11 an automobile torpedo, apressurereducin valve comprising a shell having air inlet an outletpassages and a valve-seat, an oil-chamber, a movable valve having a stementering said chamber, a spring in said chamie torpedo a pressure-V berengaging said stem, an adjustable screwabutment for said spring, and anadjusting device for turning said abutment passing through the wall ofsaid chamber and accessible on the exterior thereof for adjusting thestress oi' the spring, and thereby determining the reduced pressure atthe valve-outlet.

6. In an automobile torpedo, a pressurereducing valve comprising a shellhaving air inlet and outlet passages and a valve-seat, an oil-chamber, amovable valve having a stem passing through said chamber, a sprin(Jr insaid chamber engaging said stem, a stationary screw-threaded sleeveprojecting into said chamber, and a movable abutment for said springhaving screw-threads engaging said sleeve, and having a non-rotativeconnection with said stem, whereby the turning of said stem adjusts saidabutment to var)r the stress oi"A the spring.

7. in an automobile torpedo, a pressurereducing valve comprising a shellhaving air inlet and outlet passages and a valve-seat, an oil-chamber, amovable valve having a stem entering said chamber, a spring in saidchamber engaging said stem, and a filling-valve, through which tointroduce oil into said chamber, seating outwardly, with a spring forpressing it to its seat..

In witness whereof i have hereunto signed myname in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRANK M. LEAVITT.

Witnesses: j

CHAs. J. ELLswon'rn, FRED. H. MCGAHIE.

